Work related myths like working through lunch and the weekend: Was there a time when you fell for them? Way too busy to take a break? Annoyed with those who did? Considered yourself a master multitasker? Times when you prided yourself on skipping or eating lunch at your desk? Or decided not to take vacation […]
Taking Breaks, Multitasking, Fourteen Hour Days: Work Related Myths Read More »
Leadership. Thousands-maybe hundreds of thousands, of books and articles have been written about it. Still the questions abound. Is the leader different from the rest of us? More courageous and selfless? Are leaders more intuitive and creative than most? What are the characteristics that forge trust in those willing to place themselves in harm’s way?
Stanley McChrystal: 9/11 and Leadership Read More »
Tips for managing anger- a timely subject? Occasionally, I get stuck when considering what to write for tomorrow. Fortunately, there are other good writers in abundance on line. Eric Barker’s material is always excellent. He provides extensive research material on subjects that intrigue. Because these tips on managing anger are so relevant to this culture
Eric Barker’s Tips for Managing Anger Read More »
Author interviews, why do them? I read they are an excellent marketing tool for authors who sell less than hundreds of thousands of their books. Like me. This latest one had some unusual questions, consequently, replying to them was an intriguing exercise for me. More on that in a few minutes. First, the latest
Darkest Hour-Movie, Author Interview Read More »
Culture of superlatives: What does that mean, exactly? Recently, I’ve become aware of my tendency to use superlatives both in my writing and in speaking. Consequently, I’ve been thinking a lot about word selection, both mine and that of others. The fourth in the Lindsey McCall medical mystery series, Malthus Revisited: The Cup of Wrath
Our Culture of Superlatives: Do Our Words Matter? Read More »
Right. Why look back to Marcus Aurelius and Stoicism? Huh? Why would we want to return to one of the last Roman Emperors and a Greek philosophy which personified rigorous self-denial, extreme fortitude and emotional indifference? One of the very first books I devoured as a college undergrad was Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. A college professor
Why Look Back to Marcus Aurelius and Stoicism? Read More »
“When there is no food for three or four days, the children cry from the pain. So I make them mud cookies to fill up their stomachs.” The missionary priest, Monsignor Patrick Marron from Food for the Poor, quoted a woman living in a village of about two hundred people about 20 miles from Port
Mud Cookies: Imagine Feeding Your Kids Some? Read More »
Ideally the concept of justice is considered to be independent of contextual factors like politics. And the notion of correlating the two feels somewhat odious, or at least repugnant. But the recent Speilberg movie, Bridge of Spies, is a fascinating tale of the oxymoronic twists of our government and its desire to appear just. I don’t recall
Justice and Politics Read More »
The word politics has gained an almost entirely negative and pejorative meaning when used by many of us in these days of scandal, corruption and greed. Perhaps there was a time when politics as noun or adjective meant something other than a snipe but not in my lifetime. And so it was with great interest
Politics of the Common Good Read More »
Remember Big Hairy Audacious Goals? Made famous a couple of decades ago by management and leadership gurus like Tom Peters, BHAG stands for big, hairy, audacious goals. I was reminded of my love hate relationship with goals by Dan Pink while listening to a podcast of his speech to the 2014 graduating class of Northwestern
Remember Big Hairy Audacious Goals? Read More »